I have joked on Twitter that the three defining characteristics of the OSR are:

1. No one can agree what the OSR is.
2. No one can agree what the R stands for.
3. The OSR is always over.

It takes bravery to try and define the elusive entity that is the OSR, but this week we have not one, but two great posts on the topic. First off, the Garden Below asks the question, “What is an OSR?” and attempts to find the answer. An enjoyable, funny read. My only criticism is Luke Gearing’s ego is already so big, he doesn’t need a call out here! The Dododecahedron offers another post, The OSR Onion, that is a serious attempt to define the scene. Rowan’s post might be one of the very best on this topic? I mean, besides my tweet, anyway.

— Ramanan Sivaranjan, microblogging, November 28, 2025 [osr ] #